4 - Tertiary Structure and Fibrous Proteins Flashcards
Which amino acids are fluorescent?
Trp and Tyr
What does the extinction coefficient tell you?
How easily a molecule catches photons (absorbance)
Which amino acid has the highest extinction coefficient at 280 nm?
Trp
What does it mean to be fluorescent?
It can release an electron when a photon is absorbed
How come Trp and Tyr are fluorescent?
They are rigid (aromatic rings) to not move around, so they release energy
What technique uses the fluorescence of Trp?
FRET
What is Trp’s fluorescence dependent on?
Its microenvironment
What happens if Trp is in a more hydrophobic environment?
Higher energy –> shorter wavelength
What happens if Trp is in a more hydrophilic environment?
Lower energy -> longer wavelength
What is protein primary structure?
Covalent amino acid sequence
What is protein secondary structure?
Alpha helix and beta sheet stabilized by noncovalent interactions
What is protein tertiary structure?
Folding of local secondary structure to form final folded structure
What is protein quaternary structure?
Association of monomers to oligomers
What is a polymer chemist’s view on a protein?
View as a polymer with nodes that can rotate to give the lowest energy
What is a peptide bond?
The amide bond in the polypeptide chain
What is the configuration of the peptide bond?
Planar
How come the peptide bond is planar?
It has double bond character, so it cannot rotate
How much shorter is a peptide bond compared to a C-N bond?
0.13 A shorter
How many J of resonance energy is in a peptide bond?
85 kJ/mol
Are peptide bonds usually trans or cis?
Trans
Which amino acid can have cis conformation?
Pro
How come Pro can be cis?
It has a ring to tie back the polypeptide, and help lock it into the cis conformation
What is the trans:cis ratio of an amino acid that proceeds Pro?
10:1 - 20:1
Why would a cis bond proceed a Pro?
It can break helices and beta-sheets by disrupting H-bonds and sterics